Why Your Small Business Needs (and Can Afford) a Mobile App for Marketing

Your Business Isn’t Too Small to Profit From Mobile App Marketing

If you run a local, brick-and-mortar business or a one-person consulting firm, you can probably use a mobile app to help attract prospects, encourage customer loyalty, and build your brand. Internet access has already reached the tipping point past where more people connect online via their mobile devices than they do on their traditional computers. While your company has probably already invested in a mobile-friendly version of your website, a browser-based site can’t do as many things for you as a true mobile application can.

Why Does a Small Business Require a Mobile Application?

Gallup ran a survey to find out how people used their cell phones. Seventy-five percent of respondents said that they checked in with their cell phone at least one time every hour they were awake. Do you know what they spent 90 percent of their time doing when they used their phone? They used an app. If you hope to connect with consumers, you might as well offer them a connection with your business in the way that they obviously prefer. If you can provide a free mobile app that engages your market, you can profit.

These are some things that a mobile app can do for you, your prospects, and your customers:

You can offer your customers app-only deals and a rewards program to encourage repeat sales and brand loyalty.

You can use the app to publish messages about special promotions or new product lines that app users get to see first.

You can offer customer service and other two-way communications through the mobile application.

You might post surveys or even games with rewards for sharing socially.

Your business might offer your prospects some free tools within the app that will encourage them to use it.

These are just examples of the many ways that you can offer consumers value, make a connection, and enhance your brand with a mobile application. If you can encourage people to download your business app to their phone, they are likely to see your own company logo every time they swipe around their apps pages. Imagine how that can help improve brand recognition and credibility. You can also get additional exposure when you post your mobile application on download sites and social networks.

Are Apps Affordable for Small Business?

Naturally, you wonder how much such a marvelous piece of software will cost your small company. You might not believe this, but you can get a decent business app developed for a few hundred dollars. This is because there are many developers who focus on the small business market and even some decent DIY tools that make building an app pretty intuitive for non-technical users.

These days, developing mobile apps doesn’t have to be rocket science. These are some examples of small business mobile app builders:

Bobile: You can get web access to this popular mobile builder. You can even become a reseller and develop apps for other businesses if you care to.

Developers: You may not care to go the DIY route, and that’s fine. You can find freelance developers and small business mobile development companies that can take your requirements and deliver what you need.

These may not be the most sophisticated mobile apps; however, they can look professional and provide the basic functionality you need to get started. As your app starts to profit your business, you might or might not choose to invest more in mobile application marketing. As a business owner, you know that any investment that can help you increase your profits should be considered.